e-Learning Blog

Moodle is a world-standard LMS^※2 for efficiently conducting e-learning^※1. According to statistics from Moodle HQ, there are over 170,000 sites and more than 300 million users utilizing it across 243 countries and regions, making it the largest educational platform in the world. (*As of 2022)
In Europe and Japan, it holds the No. 1 share among universities and is widely adopted not only in educational settings but also by global companies, government agencies, and other organizations around the world.
The main reason Moodle continues to be chosen worldwide is its status as a world-standard LMS, which has been refined and standardized by universities and other organizations globally.
By using a world-standard system and implementing organizational reforms tailored to the system, it becomes possible to reassess the structure and nature of the organization, thereby enhancing international competitiveness.

*1 E-learning refers broadly to educational systems that utilize IT technologies centered around computers and the internet. This includes everything from watching videos on sharing sites and solving problems with learning apps to remote classes conducted through web conferencing tools.
*2 LMS is an abbreviation for Learning Management System. An LMS is a system that centrally manages information such as participants, materials, progress, and grades necessary for e-learning. In recent years, there has been an increase in systems that not only manage but also integrate with employee performance management and provide personalized learning experiences as Learning Experience Platforms (LXP).

> [Moodle Basic Course] What is Moodle?
> Moodle Implementation Support and Operations

From the next section, we will describe the case studies implemented by Human Science, the official partner of Moodle, along with customer testimonials.

Introduction Background
Due to the declaration of a state of emergency, we found ourselves in a situation where we had to suspend classes immediately after the new students enrolled. At that time, face-to-face classes were the norm, but starting around February, when the impact began to be felt, we started gathering information about e-learning that could provide classes online and reached out to your company.

Selection Reasons
We considered multiple e-learning systems, but we decided on Moodle for the following reasons.

• ・Open source and reasonable implementation costs
• ・The manuals available online are comprehensive
• ・High market share in universities

We also considered multiple partners. The decision to choose Human Science was based on the following reasons.

• ・Quality of response during inquiries
• ・Proposal of plans tailored to the size of the school (up to 200 people)
• ・Extensive experience in operation and maintenance at universities

<Implementation Results>

• ・I made an inquiry in April, and it was implemented by May in about two weeks, which was helpful due to the quick response.
  Also, the provision of the user manual was helpful.
• ・We make the most use of tools for online learning remotely when situations arise that prevent students from attending school, such as school closures. When a school closure occurs, if we start preparing to transition to online classes after the regular classes have been interrupted, there will inevitably be a loss of time. However, by having regular classes in a hybrid format in advance, we can create a system that allows for a smooth transition even during school closures.
• ・Classes are mainly conducted in person, but we are exploring hybrid methods such as showing preview videos and implementing flipped learning. We are making efforts to enhance the quality of our classes while seeking ways to do things that cannot be achieved through in-person classes alone.
• It was also good that communication regarding classes could be made to students outside of class hours, allowing for asynchronous communication related to the classes.

Introduction Background
Before the introduction, there were three major issues in managing the submission of assignments from approximately 85,000 participants in communication guidance, using two methods: postal mail and a web system utilizing Moodle.

• ・85,000 participants, approximately 250 courses. It is not realistic for administrators to manually set up all 250 courses. This would require a tremendous amount of time and increase the likelihood of human error. You were considering measures to improve efficiency and prevent setting omissions.
• ・System downtime is never acceptable due to the paid service. It was necessary to verify the current system configuration in preparation for the increase in the number of users.
• ・Moodle frequently has minor version updates. Initially, it was planned to be carried out by the person in charge of operations, but due to other business commitments, they were unable to allocate time to implement it.

Reasons for Selection
Because the following three proposals from Human Science were very satisfactory.

• ・Proposed and developed a feature to batch set various items on Moodle. Achieved business efficiency through automation and prevention of setting omissions.
• ・Conducted load testing of the current system and performed parameter tuning based on the results.
  Achieved a reduction in response time through parameter tuning.
  Further conducted load testing to identify the causes of system bottlenecks and proposed optimal hardware specifications.
• ・On behalf of the person in charge, we conducted updates for the middleware and Moodle in both the testing environment and the production environment.

<Implementation Results>
We were able to streamline operational tasks by developing various Moodle tools, such as bulk course registration.
By tuning the server we had been using, we achieved optimal performance, resulting in faster processing speeds.
Regarding the Moodle version upgrade, we greatly appreciated the consultation on the relationship with the OS and middleware updates of the server used by the institution, as well as your efforts in local adjustments at the institution.

Introduction Background

• ・Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the format of classes changed, and especially from the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 in the 2020 academic year, classes were changed to 100% online. Asynchronous classes using an LMS (Moodle) have increased, allowing students to learn assignments, materials, videos, etc., regardless of class time.
• ・Although we had been using Moodle for some time, at this point, there was a significant increase in inquiries from faculty members who were using Moodle for the first time, and the internal staff was handling these inquiries. However, including basic inquiries, there were over 100 inquiries per month, making it difficult to manage solely within the university. Therefore, we decided to look for a company that could provide help desk support, and we found Human Science, a Moodle partner company, through the Moodle website and reached out to them.

＜Reasons for Selection＞
Inquiries were made to three Moodle partner companies, including Human Science, for comparison and consideration.
The partners were selected primarily for the following reasons within the niche business of Moodle operation and maintenance.

• ・A company size that ensures reliability
• ・There are dozens of achievements in operation and maintenance at universities
• ・They provided a price that matched the conditions in terms of cost.

Furthermore, in addition to help desk support, as part of the measures to reduce inquiries themselves,

• ・Usage Seminar (Online Training)
• ・Improvement of manuals, translation (Japanese, English versions)
• ・Video Manual Creation
• ・Moodle server construction, performance investigation

It became a point of request as we understood that we could respond to such needs in a one-stop manner.

<Implementation Results>
The time spent on inquiries has decreased significantly from 100 hours per month to 10 hours during busy times.

• ・It was great that the content went beyond just answering inquiries and included suggestions as well.
• ・Regarding the manuals, in the past, there were voices saying they were "difficult to understand" and "hard to read," but now that improvements have been made, those issues have disappeared.
• ・Originally, the Moodle manual was in PDF format, making it difficult to find information among the vast number of pages. However, after the revision, it was restructured using Moodle's book feature. As a result, it was improved to a more user-friendly format that is easily viewable online from a browser, leading to better usability and a reduction in complaints from instructors.
• ・There have been requests for the English version of the Moodle manual for some time, but we had not been able to address this properly until now. This time, by providing the English version of the manual, it was our first response to this request, and it was very well received as it had been a long-standing demand.
• - Video manuals are being effectively utilized. I believe that having a well-organized set of content for faculty to review, along with a decrease in inquiries, is a significant benefit.

> e-Learning Implementation Achievements
> Moodle Implementation and Operational Support Achievements

You can also view case studies of Moodle implementation on this page
> Rapid Expansion of Moodle Use Due to COVID-19! Latest Status of Classes and Training Using LMS
> 4 Key Points for Comparing e-Learning and LMS (Learning Management Systems)

Reference URL:
> Moodle statistics (※Overseas site)
> 4 Key Points for Comparing e-Learning and LMS (Learning Management Systems) | e-Learning Blog | e-Learning by Human Science (hs-learning.jp)
> Yahagi Gakuen Mito Electronic Vocational School | e-Learning Case Studies | Many Achievements by Human Science (hs-learning.jp)
> The Open University of Japan | e-Learning Case Studies | Many Achievements by Human Science (hs-learning.jp)
> Tokyo University of Science | e-Learning Case Studies | Many Achievements by Human Science (hs-learning.jp)

In the previous chapter, we learned what Moodle is and what issues it solves.
In this chapter, let's explore what can be done using Moodle.

Moodle's quizzes are automatically graded. When learners take a quiz and submit their answers, the results graded by Moodle are presented to the learners. Immediately after submitting their answers, they can see the correct and incorrect responses as well as their scores, and hints (feedback) regarding the correct answers can also be provided. Instructors can view the answers and score history of the learners (i.e., general users). Additionally, it is possible to import question data created separately in formats such as XML from outside of Moodle.
Moodle allows for various types of quizzes, including multiple-choice questions, descriptive questions, numerical questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, calculation questions, and combination questions. Furthermore, there are many features that enable learners to study efficiently, and we will introduce some of them.

• ・A feature that randomly presents a certain number of questions from a question bank (a collection of numerous questions)
• ・Function to present questions at an appropriate level for the target learners
• ・Function to provide appropriate feedback on answers (hints and explanations of related matters)
• ・Anti-cheating features for learners (such as questions being randomly presented so that copying answers from others will not result in correct answers)
• ・Self-study tests to effectively identify and learn difficult areas by solving problems

Even without knowledge of how to upload to a web server or HTML, you can easily create and publish educational pages.
We use a JavaScript-based GUI HTML editor called htmlArea, which allows you to easily create and edit web pages in a word processor-like manner in your browser.
It is also possible to create pages in plain text format or in a simplified format called Moodle auto-format (plain text + some HTML tags). You can also easily upload files and set up links.
Records are kept of which users viewed which pages and when, and you can search through those records.

Moodle's "Forum" has the same functions as what is commonly referred to as a BBS or bulletin board.
There is also a feature that allows instructors to assign evaluation points to learners' posts. Additionally, there is a function that forwards the content of the posts to participants via email, which encourages them to log in to the Moodle site and helps to stimulate discussions.

This corresponds to the so-called report submission, which is a function to submit answers by writing text or uploading files. Compared to submitting via email attachments, it allows instructors to set submission deadlines within the system and efficiently collect and manage submissions, as they can easily see who has not submitted on the submission status screen. For report submitters, there is also the advantage of being able to keep various submissions stored in one place without them getting scattered.

Moodle has a management feature for grade reports called "grading."
You can view the grades for various "activities" (such as quizzes, forums, assignments, etc.) described above, as well as the total grades. Additionally, you can create a new column separately and input any numerical values. Not only can you input numbers, but you can also enter formulas to perform complex calculations. The formulas can include functions such as max(), round(), sqrt(), and more.

In addition to this, various convenient features such as chat, messaging, lessons, polls, glossaries, and Wiki are available as standard features.
Besides the standard features, numerous modules and plugins developed independently by developers around the world are publicly available, and anyone can freely use these features by installing them additionally.

> Moodle Implementation and Operation Support Service

Reference URL:
> Moodle Features | No.1 in Domestic Achievements for Human Science (science.co.jp)
> Utilization and Customization of the e-Learning System Moodle: Series | gihyo.jp … Technical Review Company
> [Moodle Basic Course] What Can Be Done with Moodle's Default Features